Worrying About the Mud Hole

The Little Farmer has come to me many times in the past few days to discuss this mud hole in the driveway.

Having fun in the mud during the fall of 2013

The primary concern is that people will think the muddy area is part of the driveway. After all there are tire tracks visible in the wet soil, so somebody (other than him) clearly drove through believing that it was the driveway. Don’t you dare blow this situation off, because it’s in the forefront of that little brain continuously.

I’ve tried to explain that it’s not really a big deal, maybe it was farm equipment that is wider than the driveway, or maybe someone wasn’t putting their full focus into staying in the center of the driveway and inadvertently made tracks in the hole. No matter how many times I tell the Little Farmer this is not a real problem and does not matter he can’t divert his focus.

I looked out the door one of those days and he was very seriously trying to outline the problem to my dad. His effort to recruit a sympathizer failed.

As I tried for what felt like the eighth time to explain that this “huge problem” wasn’t really a problem at all it hit me…this must be how God looks at many of our “problems”. He wants us to talk to Him, give our problems to Him, and then listen and know that He will take care of us. He doesn’t want us to focus on our worries like this boy has his mud hole.

The new perspective got better when I remembered that it was the Little Farmer himself who dug that hole. He spent hours using as much equipment as he could find. He became so engrossed in the enjoyment of creating the mud puddle last fall. I asked him multiple times to stop doing that.

Isn’t it ironic that he was oblivious to creating a problem just six months ago that he is agonizing over now?

While driveway puddles are a pretty straightforward mess to clean up, not all of our worries are. Our problems may require manual labor in conditions that aren’t pleasant.

Fixing another puddle in the driveway in March 2014.

Figurative mud holes take prayer and repentance. Prompted by a Bible Study and conversations with other Christians I’ve recently been prompted to repent and change. Change and the work to implement it are NOT easy. The reward, my spirit is glad to have a cleaner heart, and that is worth the change!

Matthew 6:27 Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.